You remember the hype. It’s late 2007. John Cena is on the cover next to Bobby Lashley and The Undertaker. The "Land of the Extreme" is finally coming to consoles. For a lot of us, the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 game was supposed to be the definitive wrestling experience of our childhoods. It was the first time the series hit the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, promising "next-gen" visuals and a revamped way to play.
But if you ask any die-hard fan today, they’ll probably give you a look. They’ll talk about how it felt "clunky" or how the roster felt spread too thin. Honestly, the game is a weird piece of history. It’s stuck between the legendary status of SvR 2006 and the polish of later titles like SvR 2011. It’s a transition game, and those are always a bit messy.
The Fighting Styles Gamble
Basically, Yuke's decided to blow up the old move system. Instead of everyone having the same generic grappling options, they introduced eight specific Fighting Styles. You’d pick a primary and secondary style for your wrestler. Powerhouse, Showman, High-Flyer, Technical, Dirty, Brawler, Submission, and Hardcore.
It sounds cool on paper. If you were a High-Flyer like Rey Mysterio, you could do springboard attacks and evasive rolls. If you were a Powerhouse like Batista, you could do "Rampage" mode to become unblockable.
But here’s the problem: it actually restricted what you could do. If you weren’t a High-Flyer, you couldn't do a springboard. Period. Even if the real-life wrestler did it occasionally. This made the Create-A-Wrestler (CAW) mode kinda frustrating because your moveset was locked behind these categories. You couldn't just build the ultimate hybrid athlete anymore.
Also, some styles were just better than others. The Powerhouse "Hammer Throw" was basically a cheat code that sent people flying over the top rope. Meanwhile, the Technical style felt a bit underpowered in chaotic multi-man matches.
The ECW "Invasion" That Actually Happened
This was the first game to include ECW as a full brand. They even put "Featuring ECW" on the box after they realized "ECW Invasion" might be a bit too aggressive for marketing. It brought in guys like CM Punk (his debut in the series), John Morrison (under his Johnny Nitro name initially, then updated), and Elijah Burke.
The best part of the ECW inclusion? The weapons. We finally got the weapon wheel.
No more just blindly pulling a random bell or chair from under the ring. You could actually choose a guitar, a mop, or a sledgehammer. And yes, you could light the barbed-wire 2x4 and tables on fire. It was incredibly satisfying to see the orange glow of a flaming table in the ECW arena, even if the PS2 version struggled to keep the framerate steady when things got too hectic.
The Roster and the "Benoit Gap"
Looking back, the roster is a time capsule. You have the legends like Bret Hart and Roddy Piper, but you also have the "New Breed" of ECW. However, there’s a dark cloud over this specific release.
Chris Benoit was originally supposed to be in the game. Because of the tragic events in the summer of 2007, he was scrubbed from the final build at the last second. If you dig into the game files of the PS2 or PSP versions today, you can actually find his leftover attributes and moveset data assigned to a blank slot. It’s a grim reminder of the era this game was born in.
24/7 Mode: The Love-Hate Relationship
In the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 game, THQ tried to merge Season Mode and General Manager (GM) Mode into one giant thing called "24/7 Mode."
The idea was to live the life of a superstar. You’d schedule training, do movie shoots to gain popularity, and handle injuries. Sounds deep, right? Well, in reality, it was an absolute grind. If you didn't rest enough, your injury meter would skyrocket, and your stats would tank. If you rested too much, the fans forgot who you were.
It was a constant balancing act that felt more like a spreadsheet simulator than a wrestling game at times. And because the roster was split between three brands (Raw, SmackDown, ECW), you ended up fighting the same three guys every single week. It got repetitive fast.
Yet, there was something addictive about it. Winning the GM of the Year award felt like a genuine achievement because the AI was notoriously ruthless with its ratings.
Differences Between Consoles (It Mattered!)
Back then, "multi-platform" didn't mean the games were identical. Not even close.
- PS3 and Xbox 360: These were the "HD" versions. The PS3 version actually had a weird exclusive feature where you could use the Sixaxis controller to look around in first-person during entrances. The Xbox 360 had custom soundtracks, which was a godsend for CAW creators.
- Wii: This version was... interesting. It was almost entirely motion-controlled. You’d flick the Wii Remote to strike. It lacked most of the modes, including the Fighting Styles and 24/7 mode, replacing it with a "Main Event" mode. It felt like a tech demo.
- PSP: This was surprisingly great. It had three exclusive legends—Eddie Guerrero, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jim Neidhart. Even though it had no commentary and the graphics were "jaggy," it was the full experience in your pocket.
- Nintendo DS: This was a completely different game developed by Amaze Entertainment. It was mostly touch-screen based and didn't really resemble the console versions at all.
Why We Still Play It (Actionable Tips)
If you're thinking about dusting off your old copy or firing up an emulator, there's still fun to be had. You just have to know how to approach it.
🔗 Read more: Dragon Age The Veilguard Romance: Why Your Companion Choice Changes Everything
First off, don't play it like a modern 2K game. It’s an arcade-sim hybrid. The "Struggle Submission" system (where you move the right analog stick to apply pressure or escape) is actually pretty innovative for the time. It feels more interactive than just mashing buttons.
Tips for a better experience:
- Unlock the Legends early: Use the Hall of Fame mode to get the legends. It makes GM Mode way more viable because the base roster is too small to support three brands effectively.
- Focus on the Hardcore Style: If you're playing for fun, pick a Hardcore primary style. The ability to do unique grapples with weapons makes the Extreme Rules matches the best part of the game.
- Check the PSP version: If you want the most "complete" roster, the PSP version is actually the way to go because of those three exclusive legends.
The WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 game isn't the best in the series. It’s probably not even in the top five. But it’s the game that gave us the weapon wheel, flaming tables, and the first taste of what wrestling could look like in high definition. It’s flawed, clunky, and sometimes frustrating, but for a certain generation of fans, it’s exactly where their love for wrestling games started.
Check your local retro game shop or online marketplaces; the PS2 and 360 versions are usually pretty cheap and worth it for a weekend of nostalgia. Just don't expect the career mode to be easy—that injury meter is a silent killer.